Reinforced sheet metal article



June 9, 1942. M. L. HUNKER REINFORCED SHEET METAL ARTICLE 2 SheetsSheet l June 9, 1942. M. L. HUNKER REINFORCED SHEET' METAL ARTICLE Filed Aug. 9, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 0 M w a m Patented June 9, 1942 REINFORCED SHEET METAL ARTICLE Martin L. Hunker, Dover, Ohio, assignor to Reeves Steel and Manufacturing Company, Dover, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application August 9, 1939, Serial No. 289,238

2 Claims.

The invention relates to reinforced or corrugated sheet metal articles and more particularly to substantially flat or planar sheet metal articles reinforced by a series of substantially U- shaped ribs or corrugations.

An object of the improvement is to provide a flat or planar sheet metal article reinforced over its entire surface by a series of nested U-shaped corrugations, the legs of which are parallel to two opposite side edges of the article and the bar of the U is parallel to one end edge of the article.

A further object is to provide a sheet metal article such as a wind mill vane or silo chute reinforced throughout its entire surface area by a plurality of U-shaped or substantially rectangular corrugations.

The above objects together with others which will be apparent from the drawings and following description may be attained by constructing the improved reinforced sheet metal article in the manner illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is an elevation of two cooperating wind mill vanes reinforced in accordance with the invention and attached together for connection to the shaft of a wind mill.

Fig. 2, an enlarged perspective view of a portion of one of said vanes cut in section as upon the line 2--2, Fig. l; and

Fig. 3, an elevation of a reinforced sheet metal panel for a silo chute corrugated in accordance with the invention.

Fig. 4, a perspective View of a wind-mill provided with the improved corrugated vane;

Fig. 5, an end view of the vane members as shown in Fig. 4.

Similar numerals refer to throughout the several views.

The invention is especially designed for sheet metal wind mill vanes although it is equally applicable to other flat or planar sheet metal articles which require reinforcing such as silo chutes and the like.

For the purpose of illustration, the invention is shown as applied to a wind mill vane and to a panel for a silo chute.

Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, a wind mill vane is shown constructed in accordance with the invention. This vane may be formed in two substantially planar parts as illustrated in Fig. 1 and comprises the upper vane member I0 and the lower vane member I I which are generally similar in construction.

Each of the vane members has the rearwardly similar parts inclined side edges I2, the edges of the upper member [0 being inclined upwardly and rearwardly and terminating in the substantially horizontal edge 13 while the edges of the lower vane member II are inclined downwardly and rearwardly and terminate in the lower substantially horizontal edge I 4.

The upper vane member has at its lower end a short rearwardly and downwardly inclined portion l5 terminating in a substantially horizontal lower edge I5 which overlaps the upper edge portion of the lower vane and is connected thereto as by bolts, rivets or the like indicated at IT.

The horizontal upper edge l8 of the lower Vane terminates at the angular portion I9 of the upper vane.

Each of the vane members [0 and H is covered throughout its entire area with nested substantially U-shaped corrugations 2i], the legs of which are parallel to the side edges I2 and the bars of which are horizontal or parallel to the upper or lower edges l3 or I4 of the vane members, as the case may be, and as clearly shown in Fig. 1.

The angular lower portion l5 of the upper vane member I0 is provided with corrugations 2| arranged to nest within the corrugations 20 of the lower vane member.

With this construction it is not necessary to wire the edges of the vane members or to provide reinforcing bars or rods over the surface thereof as it has been found by experience that these U-shaped corrugations extending over the entire area of the vanes sufficiently strengthen and reinforce the same.

In Fig. 3 is shown a panel for a silo chute constructed in accordance with the invention and illustrated generally by the numeral 22,

This panel may be of any suitable or desired length and is shown in Fig. 3 as broken through the center to indicate that the panel may be of greater length.

This panel is substantially rectangular and has the parallel side edges I2a and parallel end edges [3a and Ma. The entire area of this panel is covered with corrugations indicated generally at 20a and as shown, these corrugations may be of double U- shape or rectangular form extending around the entire sheet, the longer ribs or corrugations being parallel with the side edges [2a and the shorter or connecting ribs or bars being parallel with the end edges [3a and Ma.

A cross section through the panel 22 would appear identically the same as the cross section,

through the wind mill vane, as shown in Fig. 2.

In Fig. 4, the improved, corrugated vane shown in Figs. 1 and 2 is illustrated as applied to a wind-mill of conventional design. The upper portion of the tower or derrick of the wind-mill is indicated at 25, and the usual casting 26 is swivelled thereon and carries the wheel 2'! at one side, and the gear housing 28, containing the conventional gears through which the pump rod 29 is driven by the wheel 21, all as in usual and well-known practice.

A pair of spaced, substantially parallel, horizon-tal rods 30 are fixed to the casting 2B and extend rearwardly from the central portion of the wheel 21 at a right angle to the-normal plane of the wheel. All of the parts of the wind-mill above described may be of any usual and wellknown design and in themselves form no part of the present invention, but are shown in. order to illustrate the relationship between the wind-mill and the improved vane.

As shown in Fig. 1, the improved vane comprises the upper and lower vane members l0 and II, respectively, and this vane, as shown in Fig. 4, is .attached to the rear ends of the hori. zontal rods 30, which lie flat against one side of the vane and are connected thereto as by the U-bolts 3|, hooked over the rods 30 and bolted through the corrugated sheet metal vane members.

Before the development of the improved corrugated vane to which the invention pertains, afiat sheet metal vane was used upon the type of wind-mill illustrated in Fig. 4. It was necessary to provide a wired bead entirely around the edges of such vanes and to further strengthen the vanes by reinforcing rods or bars bolted across the surfaces thereof.

It has been found, however, that vanes corrugated in the manner disclosed herein are suinciently reinforced and strengthened by the corrugations, making it unnecessary to wire the edges thereof or to provide reinforcing rods or bars over the surfaces of the vanes.

As a consequence, the improved corrugated vanes have been substituted in the wind-mill, for the fiat sheet metal vanes above mentioned, and large numbers of wind-mills are being made and sold equipped with the corrugated vanes to which the invention pertains.

I claim:

1. A sheet metal wind mill vane comprising two substantially planar, sheet metal vane members, each having horizontal upper and lower edges and angularly inclined, parallel side edges, the side edges of one Vane member being oppositely disposed to the side edges of the other member, one vane member having an angular extension at one end over-lapping the adjacent end of the other vane member, and a series of nested, substantially U-shape corrugations extending over the entire area of each vane member, the legs of the U-shape corrugations being angularly inclined and parallel with the side edges of the vane member, there being oppositely angled extensions upon the legs of said U-shape corrugations of the one member extending over the entire area of the angular extension thereon, the bars of the U-shape corrugations being horizontal and parallel with the upper and lower edges of the vane members, and means for connecting the angular extension of the one vane member to the overlapped end portion of the other vane member.

2. A sheet metal wind mill vane comprising two substantially planar, sheet metal vane members, each having horizontal upper and lower edges and angularly inclined, parallel side edges, the side edges of one vane member being oppositely disposed to the side edges of the other vane member, one vane member having an angular extension at one end overlapping the adjacent end of the other vane member, and'a series of corrugations upon each vane member, said corrugations being angularly inclined and parallel with the side edges of the vane member, there being oppositely angled extensions upon the corrugations of the one member extending over the entire area of the angular extension thereon and being nested in the overlapped end portions of the corrugations upon the other vane member, and rivets connecting the angular extension of the one vane member to the overlapped end portion of the other vane member.

MARTIN L. HUNKER. 

